Exhibit Designers
Overview
Introduction
Exhibit designers plan, develop, and produce physical displays for exhibitions at museums and similar institutions. They work closely with museum directors, educators, curators, and conservators to create educational exhibits that focus on portions of a museum's collection while maintaining secure and safe environmental conditions for the objects on display. Exhibit designers prepare both temporary and permanent exhibitions for a broad range of museum audiences. There are approximately 13,700 set and exhibit designers working in the...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Salaries for exhibit designers vary widely depending on the size, type, and location of the institution, as well as the education, expertise, and achievements of the designer.
In November 2019, Salary.com reported the median annual salary for museum exhibit designers was $70,065; salaries ranged from less than $63,483 to more than $83,658. The U.S. Department of...
Work Environment
Exhibit designers typically work 40 hours per week. Continual challenges and strict deadlines make an exhibit designer's work both creative and demanding. Flexibility in working hours may be a requirement of employment as exhibition installment frequently occurs after museum hours when visitors are not present.
Exhibit designers usually have an office or studio in a private area of the m...
Outlook
Employment of set and exhibit designers is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all careers through 2028, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook. The number of private museums and of museums that specialize in a narrow topic area is rising, and these institutions are increasing the number of exhibit designers they have on staff. As public museums conti...
